Cardboard Carton Birdhouses

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've written a blog post. I've thought about it most nights but then I end up either falling asleep or watching something on TV instead. Actually, I rarely turn on my computer most nights. I can check my email and Facebook on my phone so that's all I really use nowadays.

However, that doesn't mean we've stopped doing crafts and projects. I have many to share so I'm going to try and be better about getting on here and sharing them with you.

This first one is a craft we made for Earth Day. I based ours off of an article I found in Kiwi Magazine.

We used recycled and found items to make these carton birdhouses. I love how they turned out!

The first step is to remove the spout using an Exacto Knife. This step should definitely be done by an adult!

I saved the caps to use as stamps for when we decorated them. I also used some additional recycled cardboard cut to size for the roof. It's probably best that an adult do that as well unless you have older children.

Here comes the fun part for the kiddos - Painting! You can decorate your birdhouse anyway you want. [E] used a little of every color we had while [A] painted his to look like the beach. [K] was busy painting the wooden heart you can see on the ground behind [E]'s birdhouse.

Once that had dried overnight we tried using the caps as stamps but they didn't work as well as I had envisioned. Oh well. Live and learn.

[A] did a coat of white before painting his and as you can see that covered the words on the carton way better than little [E]'s. The next step is to make a hole for the birds. I traced a K Cup but you can use any similarly sized circular item.

To add the finishing touches I hot glued the roofs to the birdhouses. (That's best done by an adult as well.) I used binder clips on the top to help hold it in place while the glue dried. It also really helped to pre-score the cardboard around the bends of the carton to make neater folds. I also glued rick rack around the opening and sliced a small slit for a craft stick perch. Lastly, poke a small hole on the top through all of the layers to thread bakers twine or other string for hanging.

Have your kids (or yourself; it's a fun craft for adults too.) spread peanut butter on both sides of the roof.

Then sprinkle bird seed all over the peanut butter. This is fairly messy so it's best done outside or over a cake pan to catch the ones that don't stick. Press the seed down lightly so it sticks.

Great job, Girls!

Find a suitable tree and hang your works of art for all the fine feathered friends in your neighborhood.

I love making crafts from recycled goods. If you've made any others that you really enjoyed, please share them with me in the comments.